Welcome!

... to the official Moment's Notice Jazz Quartet web site. Hopefully, our story (if not our winning personalities) will prompt you to come hear us, maybe even hire us, and/or spread the word about us to your friends, family, and associates.

So, please, take a moment, no pun intended (well, maybe...), to click below on the not so FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) in order to learn more about who we are and what we play.

What's up with the name?
Are you guys just another standards-playing jazz band?
How are you guys unique with your repertoire?
Where do you guys go from here?

What's up with the name?

In addition to paying homage to the signature John Coltrane tune, our group name pretty much tells the tale of our formation.

Bill and Dave got together with Randy for a jam. After a few songs revealed potential chemistry, Dave invited them to gig with him at the Sweet Country Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Antioch, CA. After Malcolm watched the group play there, Bill, who had been a bandmate of Malcolm's previously in a local Smooth Jazz band, was encouraged to ask him to join them at a 50th wedding anniversary gig the following Saturday in nearby Brentwood. The "seasoned" citizens in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the standards and even danced on occasion, the way jazz was originally enjoyed.

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Are you guys just another standards-playing jazz band?

Not really. We started out that way, of course, because we do love Jazz and respect our Jazz predecessors and contemporaries on all levels. However, somewhere in the midst of two successive Antioch gigs (at Panama Bay Coffee Company and the Lynn House Gallery), Dave mentioned the idea of doing more originals and incorporating more contemporary styles in the standards we play. The rest agreed, so now we are integrating these into our repertoire in a unique way. In the process, we are finding our own voice as a group. This is one of the experiences that makes Jazz such a cool art form.

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How are you guys unique with your repertoire?

Each member is responsible for a set number of songs (standards and/or originals), and we are encouraged to add more over time. Then, during rehearsals, each "owner" takes turns guiding the group through how he envisions his song's arrangement or considers suggestions from the others. Finally, at gigs, each person directs the group when his song comes up on the set list. This is how we plan to operate until "the next big thing."

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Where do you guys go from here?

Like any other relatively obscure (but passionate) group of musicians might desire, to become a world-class act would be nice. But since we all have families, day jobs, and are all over 30, to paraphrase Cindy Lauper, we guys "just wanna have fun!" We have God-given musical talents to cultivate, whether or not we ever see that brass ring. Also, it's a blessing to be able to actually compose, arrange, and perform jazz music after listening to and being inspired by the live and recorded music of Jazz legends and our contemporaries to whom we are exposed.

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